Accordion shutters are used in a variety of applications where closure of an area is desired. For example, accordion shutters may be used to enclose the area in front of a door or window, to secure the entryway of a store in a mall, and to cover the open customer service area or window of a kiosk. The benefits of using an accordion shutter are well known. The accordion shutters can be installed and extend over long, irregularly shaped horizontal runs, and then easily stored in a relatively small storage closet at one or both ends of the opening when the shutter is retracted, folded and collapsed. There are many design options for accordion shutters. The accordion shutters can have curtains formed from solid opaque panels, or panels having openings or fabricated from translucent polycarbonate materials to allow a measure of visibility there through in addition to providing security.
The adjacent panels of the accordion shutters are connected along their lateral edges by vertical hinge assemblies allowing relative rotational movement between the panels. One such hinge assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,850 issued to Hoffman on Apr. 21, 1998. In the Hoffman patent, each elongated vertical panel of the accordion shutter has an inner tube-like connection member along one lateral edge of the panel body portion, and an outer tube-like connection member along the opposite lateral edge. The inner connection member of one panel is inserted into the outer connection member of the adjacent panel to form the hinge with the inner connection member being able to pivot within the outer connection member. With this configuration, pinch points exist on both sides of the hinge where beads of the outer connection member engage a bent edge strip connecting the panel body portion to the inner connection member to limit the relative rotation of the hinge components and the corresponding panels. Sufficient space exists between the beads and the bent edge strip to permit an individual's finger to be caught there between and pinched.
Another example of a hinge assembly in an accordion shutter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,501 issued to Pasternak on Sep. 29, 1992. The accordion shutter of the Pasternak patent is comprised of a plurality of elongated vertical panels interconnected along their vertical edges by hinge assemblies to permit the panels to fold in an accordion fashion for storage and to extend in an undulating stretched manner to obstruct an opening. The hinge assembly has a plurality of hinge attaching members with outwardly extending connecting ribs stacked and connected for rotation by a hinge rod, and a pair of opposed panel connecting posts that are detachably securable to the connecting ribs of the hinge attaching members. The stack of hinge attaching members alternate between the panel connection posts so that each hinge attaching member pivots relative to the two adjacent hinge attaching members as the hinge assembly opens and closes. The connecting posts further have a connecting slot for securing panel elements thereto. As the connecting posts rotate about the hinge rod toward the open position of the panel elements when the accordion shutter is extended, abutment faces of the connecting posts come into contact to limit the rotation of the hinge assembly, and thereby provide a pinch point on one side of the hinge assembly. In addition to creating a pinch point, assembly of the Pasternak design is relatively difficult and the design creates multiple wear surfaces between the various components.
In view of this, a need exists for an improved accordion shutter hinge assembly that substantially eliminates pinch point risks for individuals manipulating the accordion shutter and requires minimal components and assembly complexity during installation.